Adjustable weir



March 8, 1927. 0,164

F. A. MILLIFF ET AL ADJUS TABLE WEIR Filed Jan. 11, 1926 BMW PatentedMar. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES l? QF F IlC E...

FRANK A. MILLIFF AND JOHN.A. MILLIFZF, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ADJUSTABLE .WEIR.

Application filed- January Our invention relates to'adjustable weirs.

It is common in the arts to inter-pose a plateor other solid body in thepath of a flowing stream of liquid and to provide a notch or otherorifice in the plate through which the liquid flows, and by which therate oiiflow can be computed or controlled.

It is an object of our invention to provide an enclosed type of weirwhich may beused under pressure if desired and which may be used toregulate the height of liquid standing in various types of apparatus.

Our invention is very valuable in the petroleum refi'ni'ngindustry whereit is common practice to use dephlegmators or bubble towers. Such bubbletowers as previously made have a series of condensing pans in which thedepth of liquid in each pan is fixedyby the construction ofthe tower andcannot be varied during its operation. We have discovered that thecontrol ofdepth of liquid in each pan is a valuable feature in thebubblet'ower. Such control permits the operator to determine-thepressure to which vapor must rise in order for it-to pass throughagivenpan; Control ofthe depth of'condensate in the condensing pans alsodetermines the period of time the bubbles of vapor will be' exposed tothe-condensate in each pan. This period of exposure is a function of theabsorption of the vapor in the condensateas well: as of the absorptionof". heat by the condensate fromthe uncond'ensed} vapor. Thesefactorshave a vital bearing upon the operation of a bubble tower, andthe etficiency of our'n-ew tractionating tower as explainedin ourco-pending application for U. S. Letters Patent filed January-11, 1.926,Serial No. 80',583,is attributed in no small measure to the condensat'edepth control which is a 'novel feature of this tower. It is for theaccomplishment of this condensate depth control that we have inventedthe novel weir r which comprises the present invention.

Itis an object of this invention to pro vide an. adjustableweir whichcommands the overflow opening in a condensing pan and communicates witha conduit which leads to the pan next below, said adjustable weirhavingnianual control means for. determining the level at whichcondensate in the upper'panwill overflow through the conduit tethelbwarpan.

It iaanother object to provide an adjustable: weir the housing of whichmay be 11, 1926. Serial N0. 80;582.

turned: so that the discharge opening thereof may be I angularlyadjusted without altering the orientation. between the weir-rotor-andits manual control means.

Further objects and advantages: will? be made evident in the following;description and claims; andinthe: accompanyinggdrawhas a neck 11projecting therefrom andi through which an inlet passage, 12. is-formedto open, intoacentral chamberi'l3iprovided inthe body 10. At the outerendiofr the neck- 11 a. flange 15. is provided"; integnal therewithandis securedby: bolts? 16w 1 01 flange 17. which iszthreadably' securedat18 upon a discharge pipe 19 which leads horizontally from: acondensing parrot at: fractionating tower (not shown) 1.

Extending from' the body: 10 at. a rightangle to the neck: 11 is'aneck'ZQ throu-gh which is formed an '-outlet1p'assage:21i which opensfrom the body, chamber? 13: Atthe outer endof: the neck..20 a.;.radia:lflange 22 is formed integrali therewith and is: secured by: bolts23it0titl18 flange 24. of an interpan draw-off: pipe 25 which. thusconnects this pipe tothe outlet passage 21.

Extending from thebody 10,- on-the'opposite side thereof fromt-he neck;115,..isza neck- 30. Throughi' this. neck? 301 an; assembling opening31' is :formed: in; cosax-ial alignment: with the inlet. passage 12.-and; communicating between the: chamber 13 and the outerend of thenecliBO.

In the annular shoulder, the opening-of the inlet passageway 12; intothe body chamber 13*, an annularcounterbore isrturned' and ground toform a cylindrical seat 37'. The mouth of the assembling' opening 31where; it opens; into the chamber-1'3 is slightly: decreased in:diameter to provide a cylindrical guideseat 3&w hich is equal indiameter and cot-axiallyaligned withthe seat 37.

A weir gate memberin thefor'miofarrotor 39 has a cylindricalshell' 40;.which is open at the inner end attend: closed by a wall: 42 at' itsouter end. This rotor 39 is inserted 35 formed aboutv through theassembling passage 31 and slides through the guiding seat 38 until thecylindrical end 41 bears in the seat 37 and contacts the end face 44 ofthe seat 37. The rotor 39 is thus rotatably disposed in the seats 37 and38 and makes a liquid tight contact with each of them.

The rotor 39 has a rectangular weir opening 46 provided in the shell 40thereof, which is parallelto its axis and which communicates between thecavity inside the shell 40 and the valve body chamber 13. l/Vhen inplace as above described, the rotor 39 is contacted by the body 10 onlyat the seats 37 and 38. The body 10 is so shaped that the chamber 13provides a continuous space 48 around the rotor 39 so that no matterwhat position the rotor 39 might be rotated to, a passageway from thepipe 19 through the passage 12, the interior of the shell 40, the weiropening 46, the chamber 13 and the passage 2.1 to the inter-pan draw-oftpipe 25 will in no case be shut off.

A square recess 50 is formed centrally in the outer face of the shellhead 421901 a purpose to be described later.

The outer end portion of the body neck 30 threadably receives a screwcap 52, this cap having a head 54 from the central portion of which aboss 55 projects inwardly almost into contact with the shell head 42. Acentral bore 56 is provided in the boss 55 which has a stufling box 58provided at the outer end thereof the follower 60 of which has a bore 61co-axially aligned with the bore 56 and equal in diameter thereto.

Before applying the cap 52 to the neck 30, a valve stem 64, having asquare head 65 of such size as to fit into and engage the walls of thesquare recess 50, is inserted from the inside through the bores 56 and61 until the square head 65 rests against the end face of the boss 55.The cap 52 is now screwed upon the neck 30, the valve stem head 65projecting into the recess 50, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer end of thevalve stem 64 is squared to receive an operating hand wheel which isretained in place by a nut 71 screwed down upon a threaded stud 7 2formed upon the end of the shaft 64.

A mark 75 is made upon the outer rim 7 6 of the hand wheel 70, this markhaving the same angular relation to the axis of the rotor 39 as thebottom 78 of the weir opening 46. Suitable stationary indicia 80 areprovided upon the periphery of the head 54 oflthe cap 52 upon which theangular position of the mark 75 on the hand wheel 7 0 may be read.

The operation of our improved adjustable weir described above is asfollows:

The condensate pipe 19 connects with a condensing pan (not shown) andwhen the fractionating tower is assembled the flange 15 is secured tothe flange 17. After being screwed upon the pipe 19, the flange 17 isgiven a final part of a revolution to turn the neck 20 to the properinclination from the body 10 so that it will conveniently attach to theinter-pan condensate tube 25 which must proceed downwardly at a varyingangle in different instances to reach the opposite end of the condensingpan next below. This inclination required of the neck 20 varies betweenits full line position in Figs. 1 and 3 to the vertically downwardpositions 81 in which it is shown in dotted lines.

Condensate 85 formed in the condensing pans flows through the pipe 19and the passage .12 into the shell 40. As the weir open- 46 is alwaysunobstructed the condensate will flow out therethrough into the chamber13 and through the passage 21 into the interpan draw-off pipe 25, assoon as it rises in the condensing pan above the level 86 of thelowermost edge 78 of the weir opening 46. lVhen the rotor 39 is rotatedby means of the hand wheel 70 the position of the weir opening 46 andits altitude is changed. Each such change of altitude causes a new levelto be maintained in the condensing pan. The range of levels ofcondensate which may thus be maintained in the condensing pan or;- tendsfrom the lowermost to the uppermost possible positions of the weiropening 46.

Any desired setting of the rotor 39 may be had quickly by turning thehand wheel 70 so that the 'mark 7 5 registers with a predetermined markof the indicia 80. Thus an efficient control of the levels of condensatein the various condensing pans may be maintained by the operator of thefractionating tower.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an adjustable weir, the combination of: a body having a centralchamber, intake and outlet openings therefrom, and a seating surfaceformed internally upon said body about said intake opening; a gatemember disposed in said chamber and having a weir opening therein, and asurface formed thereon which is adapted to contact the seating surfaceupon said body so that said weir opening commands passage between saidintake and outlet openings; and means for manually controlling theposition of said. gate member to dispose said weir opening at differentlevels.

' 2. A combination as in claim 1 having suitable indicia upon saidmanual control means for indicating the level at which said weir openingis disposed.

3. In an adjustable weir, the combination of: a body which has a centralchamber, in-

"take and outlet openings thereform, an annular rotor seat formed aboutsaid inlet opening, an assembling opening opposite, said inlet opening,and an annular rotor guiding seat in said assembling opening; a

cylindrical rotor adapted to rotatably seat in said rotor seat and beguided by said guiding seat and having a chamber which communicates withsaid inlet opening and a weir opening which communicates between saidrotor chamber and said body chamber; closure means for said assemblingopening; and means mounted upon said closure means for manually rotatingsaid rotor. to dispose said weir opening at different levels.

4. In an adjustable weir, the combination of: a body having a central.chamber, and intake and outlet openings therefrom; a weir gate disposedin said chamber sons to command the passage from said intake openingthrough said chamber to said outlet opening, said weir gate having aweir opening which sets up communication between said intake and outletopenings; and manual control means for adjusting said weir gate so thatsaid weir opening is disposed atdifferent levels.

5. In an adjustable weir, the combination of: a body having a centralchamber, and inlet and outlet openings therein; an adjustable weir gatehaving a weir opening there in and disposed in said chamber so thatpassage from said inlet opening to said outlet opening will be throughsaid weir opening and so that such passage will remain open duringadjustment of said weir gate; and means for manually adjusting said Weirgate so that said weir opening is disposed at different levels.

6. In an adj ustablc weir, the combination of: a body which has acentral chamber, intake and outlet openings therefrom, an an nulairotorseat formed about. said inlet opening, an assembling opening oppositesaid inlet opening, and an annular rotor guiding seat in said assemblingopening; a cylindrical rotor adapted to rotatably seat in said rotorseat and be guided by said guiding seat and having a chamber whichcon'n'nunicates with said inlet opening and a weir opening whichcommunicates between said rotor chamber and said body chamber; a headformed upon said rotor and having a recess formed therein; a cap forclosing id assembling opening and having a central hole therein; astuffing box formed in said hole; a shaft disposed through said hole andsaid stuffing box; a head on the inner end of said shaft which isadapted to fit into said recess in said rotor head and lock said rotorto said shaftfor rotation therewith; and means applied to said shaft formanually 1'0- tating it.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles,California, this EZ l day of December, 1925.

FRANK A. MILLIFF. JOHN A. MILLIFF.

